Child abuse and neglect are serious social problems. Preventing maltreatment from occurring and, when prevention fails, intervening to protect children, are vital concerns for policy makers, the ...
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Child abuse and neglect are serious social problems. Preventing maltreatment from occurring and, when prevention fails, intervening to protect children, are vital concerns for policy makers, the public, and professionals in social work, mental health, medicine, nursing, law enforcement, and law. Millions of dollars are spent on the child protection system. Yet, maltreatment continues. To appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of today's child protection system, it is important to understand the historical development of child protection. Part I traces the history of child protection in America from colonial times to the present. With the history in place, Part II begins with an analysis of the numerous causes of child abuse and neglect. Once the causes of maltreatment are revealed, the discussion shifts to roadblocks to reducing maltreatment. Despite roadblocks, progress is possible, and Part II outlines broad strategies for reducing the amount of maltreatment. The book ends with specific recommendations to improve the child protection system, including proposals to strengthen foster care and reform the juvenile court.Less

Child Protection in America : Past, Present, and Future

John E. B. Myers

Published in print: 2006-07-13

Child abuse and neglect are serious social problems. Preventing maltreatment from occurring and, when prevention fails, intervening to protect children, are vital concerns for policy makers, the public, and professionals in social work, mental health, medicine, nursing, law enforcement, and law. Millions of dollars are spent on the child protection system. Yet, maltreatment continues. To appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of today's child protection system, it is important to understand the historical development of child protection. Part I traces the history of child protection in America from colonial times to the present. With the history in place, Part II begins with an analysis of the numerous causes of child abuse and neglect. Once the causes of maltreatment are revealed, the discussion shifts to roadblocks to reducing maltreatment. Despite roadblocks, progress is possible, and Part II outlines broad strategies for reducing the amount of maltreatment. The book ends with specific recommendations to improve the child protection system, including proposals to strengthen foster care and reform the juvenile court.

This chapter discusses child protection reform in Romania. Romania's progress in improving child protective services has been remarkable, especially in the past few years. The humanitarian aid and ...
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This chapter discusses child protection reform in Romania. Romania's progress in improving child protective services has been remarkable, especially in the past few years. The humanitarian aid and the large increase in international adoptions that occurred at the beginning and during the 1990s can be perceived now as a double-edged sword. The aid benefited many of the victims of a malfunctioning system of residential care institutions by improving the conditions in numerous orphanages, and the adoptions offered some abandoned children the chance of a new family. The international adoptions also helped the public sector cut costs for operating the institutions, a disincentive to improving their cost-effectiveness. Although both the aid and international adoptions seemed to justify the existence of the institutions in the shape and function inherited from communist Romania, by perpetuating the already corrupt and inefficient system, they eventually led to real child protection reform.Less

Residential Care for Children in Romania : A Model for Child Protection Reform in Central and Eastern Europe

OVIDIU
GAVRILOVICI

Published in print: 2009-03-26

This chapter discusses child protection reform in Romania. Romania's progress in improving child protective services has been remarkable, especially in the past few years. The humanitarian aid and the large increase in international adoptions that occurred at the beginning and during the 1990s can be perceived now as a double-edged sword. The aid benefited many of the victims of a malfunctioning system of residential care institutions by improving the conditions in numerous orphanages, and the adoptions offered some abandoned children the chance of a new family. The international adoptions also helped the public sector cut costs for operating the institutions, a disincentive to improving their cost-effectiveness. Although both the aid and international adoptions seemed to justify the existence of the institutions in the shape and function inherited from communist Romania, by perpetuating the already corrupt and inefficient system, they eventually led to real child protection reform.

Chapter 7 describes broad societal changes to reduce child maltreatment. Even if such changes are implemented, some abuse and neglect will occur, and this chapter makes specific recommendations to ...
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Chapter 7 describes broad societal changes to reduce child maltreatment. Even if such changes are implemented, some abuse and neglect will occur, and this chapter makes specific recommendations to improve the existing child protection system. It critiques reform proposals by leading scholars on child protection including Duncan Lindsey, Leroy Pelton, and Elizabeth Bartholet. It addresses the lingering effects of racism on decision making in child protection. It argues that one of the primary weaknesses of today's child protection is that no single profession is clearly in charge of child protection. Claims to leadership are made by physicians, mental health professionals, lawyers, and social workers. The chapter asserts that social work must be at the helm, but that social work — particularly social work education — has abdicated its leadership role. It argues for a less adversarial child protection system. In a similar vein, it advocates changes to laws requiring professionals to report suspected maltreatment. It offers recommendations to strengthen foster care, including the new type of foster care called Temporary Permanent Attachment Care (TEPAC). The chapter ends with a controversial proposal to reinvigorate America's juvenile courts.Less

Improving The Child Protection System

John E. B. Myers

Published in print: 2006-07-13

Chapter 7 describes broad societal changes to reduce child maltreatment. Even if such changes are implemented, some abuse and neglect will occur, and this chapter makes specific recommendations to improve the existing child protection system. It critiques reform proposals by leading scholars on child protection including Duncan Lindsey, Leroy Pelton, and Elizabeth Bartholet. It addresses the lingering effects of racism on decision making in child protection. It argues that one of the primary weaknesses of today's child protection is that no single profession is clearly in charge of child protection. Claims to leadership are made by physicians, mental health professionals, lawyers, and social workers. The chapter asserts that social work must be at the helm, but that social work — particularly social work education — has abdicated its leadership role. It argues for a less adversarial child protection system. In a similar vein, it advocates changes to laws requiring professionals to report suspected maltreatment. It offers recommendations to strengthen foster care, including the new type of foster care called Temporary Permanent Attachment Care (TEPAC). The chapter ends with a controversial proposal to reinvigorate America's juvenile courts.

This chapter provides a general overview of key public interests and organizational principles that shape and define the public role in child welfare. Public child welfare is concerned largely with ...
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This chapter provides a general overview of key public interests and organizational principles that shape and define the public role in child welfare. Public child welfare is concerned largely with three major issues: (1) the safety issue of what minimal standards of child protection should be enforced in order to reduce agency risks to the life and health of children; (2) the permanency issue of who should be delegated the discretion to act as agents of children's care and guardianship when protective standards are violated; and (3) the wellbeing issue of how the performance of parents, guardians, and other child-caring agents can be enhanced to promote children's optimal development. These three issues supply a general framework for defining the scope of public child welfare interest and for building a results-oriented accountability (ROA) system that can advance the safety, permanence, and wellbeing of abused and neglected children.Less

Child Welfare in the Twenty-First Century : Outcomes, Value Tensions, and Agency Risks

Mark F. TestaJohn Poertner

Published in print: 2010-01-08

This chapter provides a general overview of key public interests and organizational principles that shape and define the public role in child welfare. Public child welfare is concerned largely with three major issues: (1) the safety issue of what minimal standards of child protection should be enforced in order to reduce agency risks to the life and health of children; (2) the permanency issue of who should be delegated the discretion to act as agents of children's care and guardianship when protective standards are violated; and (3) the wellbeing issue of how the performance of parents, guardians, and other child-caring agents can be enhanced to promote children's optimal development. These three issues supply a general framework for defining the scope of public child welfare interest and for building a results-oriented accountability (ROA) system that can advance the safety, permanence, and wellbeing of abused and neglected children.

Research has already been a significant factor in child welfare policy in recent years, but this book demonstrates that it has taken a leading role in the field to spur and guide change. The chapters ...
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Research has already been a significant factor in child welfare policy in recent years, but this book demonstrates that it has taken a leading role in the field to spur and guide change. The chapters in this book assess the effect of research on the full spectrum of child welfare services. The book covers every base. The opening chapters situate child welfare research in the modern context; they are followed by discussions of evidence-based practice in the field, arguably its most pressing concern now. Recent years have seen historic rises in the number of children adopted through public agencies and, accordingly, permanent placement and family ties are critical topics that occupy the book's core, along with chapters broaching the thorny questions that surround decision-making and risk assessment. The urgent need for a more effective use of research and evidence is highlighted again with looks at the future of child protection and how concrete data can influence policy and help children. Finally, in recognition of the growing importance of a global view, closing chapters address international issues in child welfare research, including an examination of policies from abroad and a multinational comparison of the economic challenges facing single mothers and their children.Less

Child Welfare Research : Advances for Practice and Policy

Published in print: 2008-05-01

Research has already been a significant factor in child welfare policy in recent years, but this book demonstrates that it has taken a leading role in the field to spur and guide change. The chapters in this book assess the effect of research on the full spectrum of child welfare services. The book covers every base. The opening chapters situate child welfare research in the modern context; they are followed by discussions of evidence-based practice in the field, arguably its most pressing concern now. Recent years have seen historic rises in the number of children adopted through public agencies and, accordingly, permanent placement and family ties are critical topics that occupy the book's core, along with chapters broaching the thorny questions that surround decision-making and risk assessment. The urgent need for a more effective use of research and evidence is highlighted again with looks at the future of child protection and how concrete data can influence policy and help children. Finally, in recognition of the growing importance of a global view, closing chapters address international issues in child welfare research, including an examination of policies from abroad and a multinational comparison of the economic challenges facing single mothers and their children.

This chapter makes an argument for two proposals. One would reform the child protection system to create a more professionalized and respected corps, while at the same time devolving some ...
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This chapter makes an argument for two proposals. One would reform the child protection system to create a more professionalized and respected corps, while at the same time devolving some responsibilities to community agencies and professionals. The other proposal is for more broad-spectrum and integrated prevention efforts in schools and community organizations.Less

Proposals

David Finkelhor

Published in print: 2008-04-10

This chapter makes an argument for two proposals. One would reform the child protection system to create a more professionalized and respected corps, while at the same time devolving some responsibilities to community agencies and professionals. The other proposal is for more broad-spectrum and integrated prevention efforts in schools and community organizations.

This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part commences with a review of economic evaluations in child protection, including preventive and treatment interventions for physical abuse, ...
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This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part commences with a review of economic evaluations in child protection, including preventive and treatment interventions for physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. It then describes the need for methodological improvements in economic evaluation of child protection to include inter-generational effects and recognize unique aspects, such as circular causal pathways, impacts that extend beyond the individual, and cross portfolio impacts. Part 1 examines the internal and external validity of effectiveness evidence and quality of life effects in harm prevention and ends with a discussion of policy relevance. The second part is a detailed discussion of economic evaluation of US welfare reform initiatives aimed at protecting children from parental abuse and neglect. This part addresses the measurement of outcomes in child welfare program innovation, including changes in services, accelerated permanency, health and safety, and changes in children's health outcomes as measured by school performance and delinquency. Part 2 concludes with suggestions for facilitating the conduct of economic analysis of welfare reforms. The third part of this chapter focuses on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). After a brief review of screening, diagnosis and treatment for FASD, it summarizes current evidence regarding the economic burden and cost-effectiveness of FASD treatment and prevention.Less

Economic evaluation in harm prevention: What are the special challenges?

Wendy J. Ungar

Published in print: 2009-10-08

This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part commences with a review of economic evaluations in child protection, including preventive and treatment interventions for physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. It then describes the need for methodological improvements in economic evaluation of child protection to include inter-generational effects and recognize unique aspects, such as circular causal pathways, impacts that extend beyond the individual, and cross portfolio impacts. Part 1 examines the internal and external validity of effectiveness evidence and quality of life effects in harm prevention and ends with a discussion of policy relevance. The second part is a detailed discussion of economic evaluation of US welfare reform initiatives aimed at protecting children from parental abuse and neglect. This part addresses the measurement of outcomes in child welfare program innovation, including changes in services, accelerated permanency, health and safety, and changes in children's health outcomes as measured by school performance and delinquency. Part 2 concludes with suggestions for facilitating the conduct of economic analysis of welfare reforms. The third part of this chapter focuses on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). After a brief review of screening, diagnosis and treatment for FASD, it summarizes current evidence regarding the economic burden and cost-effectiveness of FASD treatment and prevention.

This chapter critically outlines the development of child protection policies and procedures in England from 1995–2010. It pays particular attention to the Every Child Matters: Change for Children ...
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This chapter critically outlines the development of child protection policies and procedures in England from 1995–2010. It pays particular attention to the Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme and how this was related to the wider social policy aims of the New Labour Government at the time. The chapter looks more specifically at the emphasis placed upon the concept of safeguarding and attempts to emphasise a more family service orientation to the work and the challenges to this. The chapter also provides a critical appraisal of the nature and role of “out of home care” during the period and the changing make-up of the types of cases subject to a “child protection plan”. The chapter concludes with a consideration of the impact of the case of Baby Peter Connelly in 2008 and the possible implications of the election of the Conservative/Liberal Democratic Government in 2010.Less

Child Protection in England

Nigel PartonDavid Berridge

Published in print: 2011-04-27

This chapter critically outlines the development of child protection policies and procedures in England from 1995–2010. It pays particular attention to the Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme and how this was related to the wider social policy aims of the New Labour Government at the time. The chapter looks more specifically at the emphasis placed upon the concept of safeguarding and attempts to emphasise a more family service orientation to the work and the challenges to this. The chapter also provides a critical appraisal of the nature and role of “out of home care” during the period and the changing make-up of the types of cases subject to a “child protection plan”. The chapter concludes with a consideration of the impact of the case of Baby Peter Connelly in 2008 and the possible implications of the election of the Conservative/Liberal Democratic Government in 2010.

This chapter argues that the basic direction of Canadian child welfare has not changed over the last decade from its focus on child protection, and that the service remains decidedly residual. ...
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This chapter argues that the basic direction of Canadian child welfare has not changed over the last decade from its focus on child protection, and that the service remains decidedly residual. Although policies and services in Canada’s thirteen jurisdictions at times shift somewhat in the direction of family support, the driving force over the past ten or fifteen years has been intensified attention to risk and security. The chapter examines Canada’s “social safety net”, which provides the context for child welfare work, and some of the historical roots of policy. Current information about legislation, work processes and the children and families in contact with child protection services is presented. Also explored are two recent trends that affect the climate of child welfare practice and policy: changes in federal law on corporal punishment (the “spanking law”) and the pervasive use of risk assessment tools.Less

Canadian Child Welfare : Child Protection and the Status Quo 1

Karen J. Swift

Published in print: 2011-04-27

This chapter argues that the basic direction of Canadian child welfare has not changed over the last decade from its focus on child protection, and that the service remains decidedly residual. Although policies and services in Canada’s thirteen jurisdictions at times shift somewhat in the direction of family support, the driving force over the past ten or fifteen years has been intensified attention to risk and security. The chapter examines Canada’s “social safety net”, which provides the context for child welfare work, and some of the historical roots of policy. Current information about legislation, work processes and the children and families in contact with child protection services is presented. Also explored are two recent trends that affect the climate of child welfare practice and policy: changes in federal law on corporal punishment (the “spanking law”) and the pervasive use of risk assessment tools.

On more than one occasion Sweden has been singled out as the most successful contemporary example of a harsh industrial class society transformed into an advanced human welfare society. The question ...
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On more than one occasion Sweden has been singled out as the most successful contemporary example of a harsh industrial class society transformed into an advanced human welfare society. The question raised in this chapter it how this human welfare society has succeeded in protection children from abuse and neglect. This chapter hence discusses the current formal Swedish child protection system. The systemic changes and trends in the social practice during the last fifteen years are outlined as well as the prospects inherent in the present overview of the system initiated by the national government in December 2007 and presented to the public as a proposal for a new Child Protection law in June 2009. In the concluding section this political intervention as well as other challenges to the present Swedish child protection system are discussed in a macro-sociological perspective.Less

The Dark Side of the Universal Welfare State? : Child Abuse and Protection in Sweden

Madeleine CocozzaSven E. O. Hort

Published in print: 2011-04-27

On more than one occasion Sweden has been singled out as the most successful contemporary example of a harsh industrial class society transformed into an advanced human welfare society. The question raised in this chapter it how this human welfare society has succeeded in protection children from abuse and neglect. This chapter hence discusses the current formal Swedish child protection system. The systemic changes and trends in the social practice during the last fifteen years are outlined as well as the prospects inherent in the present overview of the system initiated by the national government in December 2007 and presented to the public as a proposal for a new Child Protection law in June 2009. In the concluding section this political intervention as well as other challenges to the present Swedish child protection system are discussed in a macro-sociological perspective.

The year 1875 gave birth to organized child protection. The previous year, Etta Wheeler, a religious missionary to the poor in New York City, discovered a little girl named Mary Ellen who was cruelly ...
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The year 1875 gave birth to organized child protection. The previous year, Etta Wheeler, a religious missionary to the poor in New York City, discovered a little girl named Mary Ellen who was cruelly beaten and neglected by her guardians. Wheeler decided to rescue Mary Ellen, but there was no agency responsible for child protection. Wheeler convinced Henry Bergh, founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, to assist Mary Ellen. With Bergh's assistance, Mary Ellen was rescued. The next year, Bergh and his attorney, Elbridge Gerry, founded the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the world's first organization dedicated specifically to protecting children from maltreatment. Non-governmental child protection societies spread across America.Less

Societies For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Children

John E. B. Myers

Published in print: 2006-07-13

The year 1875 gave birth to organized child protection. The previous year, Etta Wheeler, a religious missionary to the poor in New York City, discovered a little girl named Mary Ellen who was cruelly beaten and neglected by her guardians. Wheeler decided to rescue Mary Ellen, but there was no agency responsible for child protection. Wheeler convinced Henry Bergh, founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, to assist Mary Ellen. With Bergh's assistance, Mary Ellen was rescued. The next year, Bergh and his attorney, Elbridge Gerry, founded the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the world's first organization dedicated specifically to protecting children from maltreatment. Non-governmental child protection societies spread across America.

This chapter describes the formation of the modern child protection system. The most critical date in the process was 1962, when pediatrician Henry Kempe and his colleagues published their seminal ...
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This chapter describes the formation of the modern child protection system. The most critical date in the process was 1962, when pediatrician Henry Kempe and his colleagues published their seminal article describing “The Battered Child Syndrome.” Kempe agitated for a more robust response to child abuse, and became an effective spokesperson for the renaissance of interest in child abuse and neglect in the 1960s and 1970s. The law of every state requires professionals to report suspicions of child abuse to authorities, and this chapter describes the creation of reporting laws in the 1960s. Prior to the 1970s, the federal government played a useful but minor role in child welfare and protection. In 1974, Congress assumed a leadership role with passage of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). CAPTA was followed by additional federal laws, especially the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, the Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994, and the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. By the 1980s, the government-funded and -operated child protection familiar to us today was in place.Less

Child Protection From 1962 to the Present

John E. B. Myers

Published in print: 2006-07-13

This chapter describes the formation of the modern child protection system. The most critical date in the process was 1962, when pediatrician Henry Kempe and his colleagues published their seminal article describing “The Battered Child Syndrome.” Kempe agitated for a more robust response to child abuse, and became an effective spokesperson for the renaissance of interest in child abuse and neglect in the 1960s and 1970s. The law of every state requires professionals to report suspicions of child abuse to authorities, and this chapter describes the creation of reporting laws in the 1960s. Prior to the 1970s, the federal government played a useful but minor role in child welfare and protection. In 1974, Congress assumed a leadership role with passage of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). CAPTA was followed by additional federal laws, especially the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, the Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994, and the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. By the 1980s, the government-funded and -operated child protection familiar to us today was in place.

This chapter discusses the procedure for implementing effective programs and policies in regards to technological content. Safety has long been the primary concern of policymakers in terms of ...
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This chapter discusses the procedure for implementing effective programs and policies in regards to technological content. Safety has long been the primary concern of policymakers in terms of children on the internet, for good reason. Unfortunately, it is impossible to eliminate all of the risks associated with children going online, just like it is impossible to guarantee a child’s safety at the playground. It is vital that children and guardians continue to discuss appropriate conduct when online, setting clear, consistent rules. When children and adults are active participants in the creation of policy, their online experiences can be more meaningful.Less

Programs and Policies

Marina Umaschi Bers

Published in print: 2012-03-02

This chapter discusses the procedure for implementing effective programs and policies in regards to technological content. Safety has long been the primary concern of policymakers in terms of children on the internet, for good reason. Unfortunately, it is impossible to eliminate all of the risks associated with children going online, just like it is impossible to guarantee a child’s safety at the playground. It is vital that children and guardians continue to discuss appropriate conduct when online, setting clear, consistent rules. When children and adults are active participants in the creation of policy, their online experiences can be more meaningful.

This book builds upon and advances the comparative analysis of child protection systems that was conducted in the mid-1990s and presented in the ground-breaking book Combatting Child Abuse: ...
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This book builds upon and advances the comparative analysis of child protection systems that was conducted in the mid-1990s and presented in the ground-breaking book Combatting Child Abuse: International Perspectives and Trends (Gilbert, 1997). Chapters provide a detailed analysis of how the systems have changed during the period with a particular focus upon: • What are the criteria which define child maltreatment? • Who is responsible for reporting suspected cases of maltreatment? • What are the processes for enquiring into the reports? • How are the allegations of maltreatment substantiated, and what is the state’s response? Each chapter also considers two broader and key questions: • What have been the major issues and trends since during the period? • What have been the significant changes in the wider political and social contexts and how have these influenced child welfare and child protection? It becomes clear that all the countries have witnessed considerable change and the Conclusion summarizes the main themes. While there are important similarities in the changes experienced there are also important differences. In the process the chapters identify important developments in the two alternative orientations to the problem identified in Combatting Child Abuse – the child protection and family service orientations and the emergence of a new and significant orientation a child-focused orientation.Less

Child Protection Systems : International Trends and Orientations

Published in print: 2011-04-27

This book builds upon and advances the comparative analysis of child protection systems that was conducted in the mid-1990s and presented in the ground-breaking book Combatting Child Abuse: International Perspectives and Trends (Gilbert, 1997). Chapters provide a detailed analysis of how the systems have changed during the period with a particular focus upon: • What are the criteria which define child maltreatment? • Who is responsible for reporting suspected cases of maltreatment? • What are the processes for enquiring into the reports? • How are the allegations of maltreatment substantiated, and what is the state’s response? Each chapter also considers two broader and key questions: • What have been the major issues and trends since during the period? • What have been the significant changes in the wider political and social contexts and how have these influenced child welfare and child protection? It becomes clear that all the countries have witnessed considerable change and the Conclusion summarizes the main themes. While there are important similarities in the changes experienced there are also important differences. In the process the chapters identify important developments in the two alternative orientations to the problem identified in Combatting Child Abuse – the child protection and family service orientations and the emergence of a new and significant orientation a child-focused orientation.

This chapter, written by Alexa Hepburn and Jonathan Potter, examines the use of tag questions by child protection officers (CPOs) in calls to a child abuse hotline. Hepburn and Potter find that tag ...
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This chapter, written by Alexa Hepburn and Jonathan Potter, examines the use of tag questions by child protection officers (CPOs) in calls to a child abuse hotline. Hepburn and Potter find that tag questions are particularly common during crying sequences in these calls, that is, when callers are crying and having a difficult time expressing the reasons for their call. CPOs typically adopt a neutral or even skeptical stance with respect to callers and their predicaments, but during crying sequences CPOs “sympathetically acknowledge” the (upset) mental state of the callers. Combined with other features of the CPOs' turn, Hepburn and Potter argue that tag questions during crying sequences have an affiliative function and a weak response requirement. The use of this particular type of question means that callers are not held strongly accountable for answering and are thus encouraged to stay on the phone even if they fail to participate.Less

Interrogating Tears : Some Uses of “Tag Questions” in a Child‐Protection Helpline

Alexa HepburnJonathan Potter

Published in print: 2009-12-08

This chapter, written by Alexa Hepburn and Jonathan Potter, examines the use of tag questions by child protection officers (CPOs) in calls to a child abuse hotline. Hepburn and Potter find that tag questions are particularly common during crying sequences in these calls, that is, when callers are crying and having a difficult time expressing the reasons for their call. CPOs typically adopt a neutral or even skeptical stance with respect to callers and their predicaments, but during crying sequences CPOs “sympathetically acknowledge” the (upset) mental state of the callers. Combined with other features of the CPOs' turn, Hepburn and Potter argue that tag questions during crying sequences have an affiliative function and a weak response requirement. The use of this particular type of question means that callers are not held strongly accountable for answering and are thus encouraged to stay on the phone even if they fail to participate.

This chapter examines the relevance and irrelevance of research on public child welfare, focusing on issues such as child removal, family preservation, and child protection. This is done against the ...
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This chapter examines the relevance and irrelevance of research on public child welfare, focusing on issues such as child removal, family preservation, and child protection. This is done against the background of the four levels of the child welfare system: its programs and services; the structure of the child welfare system itself; child welfare policies; and cognitive and emotional factors such as conceptions of justice. The fundamental discrepancy between research and practice is explored: the focus of child welfare practice on individual child and family, and the emphasis of most social science research on aggregate data.Less

Informing Child Welfare: The Promise and Limits of Empirical Research

Leroy H. Pelton

Published in print: 2008-05-01

This chapter examines the relevance and irrelevance of research on public child welfare, focusing on issues such as child removal, family preservation, and child protection. This is done against the background of the four levels of the child welfare system: its programs and services; the structure of the child welfare system itself; child welfare policies; and cognitive and emotional factors such as conceptions of justice. The fundamental discrepancy between research and practice is explored: the focus of child welfare practice on individual child and family, and the emphasis of most social science research on aggregate data.

The phase of a non-punitive and particapatory opening of the child and family welfare system in the 1960s and 1970s resulted in a new legislation for the German system in 1990. Today, the German ...
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The phase of a non-punitive and particapatory opening of the child and family welfare system in the 1960s and 1970s resulted in a new legislation for the German system in 1990. Today, the German child protection system is at a crossroads. Extensive media coverage of fatal cases of child abuse and neglect contributed to child protection being regarded as a “risky system”, and the actions of social workers became a matter of public interest and caused a child protection panic, which led to a stronger interventionist orientation. Child protection has become a central socio-political issue, reflecting the wider societal, political and cultural context of a “risk society”. The German response oscillates between a universal and integrated approach and a more interventionist, risk and worst-case-scenario oriented strategy. This contribution proposes a tri-polar concept of child protection, encompassing support for the child, the family and the community.Less

Child Protection in an Age of Uncertainty : Germany’s Response

Reinhart WolffKay BieselStefan Heinitz

Published in print: 2011-04-27

The phase of a non-punitive and particapatory opening of the child and family welfare system in the 1960s and 1970s resulted in a new legislation for the German system in 1990. Today, the German child protection system is at a crossroads. Extensive media coverage of fatal cases of child abuse and neglect contributed to child protection being regarded as a “risky system”, and the actions of social workers became a matter of public interest and caused a child protection panic, which led to a stronger interventionist orientation. Child protection has become a central socio-political issue, reflecting the wider societal, political and cultural context of a “risk society”. The German response oscillates between a universal and integrated approach and a more interventionist, risk and worst-case-scenario oriented strategy. This contribution proposes a tri-polar concept of child protection, encompassing support for the child, the family and the community.

This chapter proposes the idea for a de facto juvenile victim justice system, a complex set of agencies and institutions that responds to juvenile victims of crime and violence, including both child ...
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This chapter proposes the idea for a de facto juvenile victim justice system, a complex set of agencies and institutions that responds to juvenile victims of crime and violence, including both child maltreatment and conventional crime. It offers a schematic model of that system and tries to quantify the case flow through its various components. The model also highlights the activities of the system most likely to have consequential impacts on victims. It argues that more professionals are needed who understand the system in its entirety, not just their own agency role, and who can help guide victims, families, and other professionals through its complexities. More efforts are also needed to integrate and rationalize the system, particularly through information exchange among its components.Less

The Juvenile Victim Justice System: A Concept for Helping Victims

David Finkelhor

Published in print: 2008-04-10

This chapter proposes the idea for a de facto juvenile victim justice system, a complex set of agencies and institutions that responds to juvenile victims of crime and violence, including both child maltreatment and conventional crime. It offers a schematic model of that system and tries to quantify the case flow through its various components. The model also highlights the activities of the system most likely to have consequential impacts on victims. It argues that more professionals are needed who understand the system in its entirety, not just their own agency role, and who can help guide victims, families, and other professionals through its complexities. More efforts are also needed to integrate and rationalize the system, particularly through information exchange among its components.

This chapter examines developments in child protection practices in the Netherlands since the 1990s. It describes the institutional relationship between child protection agencies and overall child ...
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This chapter examines developments in child protection practices in the Netherlands since the 1990s. It describes the institutional relationship between child protection agencies and overall child welfare agencies, as this setting forms foundation of the triangulate system of family support, youth care (and prevention) and child protection. It is also the main characteristic of the Dutch policy approach to child protection as a last resort. First the chapter challenges the balancing of privacy and protection as reflected in the legal and professional guidelines for protecting children, which has fostered a debate on the legitimation of professional intervention. Secondly it focuses on professional intervention for child welfare itself; what are the conditions of adequate child protection and do current policy reforms contribute to these conditions?Less

Child Welfare in the Netherlands : Between Privacy and Protection

Trudie KnijnCarolus van Nijnatten

Published in print: 2011-04-27

This chapter examines developments in child protection practices in the Netherlands since the 1990s. It describes the institutional relationship between child protection agencies and overall child welfare agencies, as this setting forms foundation of the triangulate system of family support, youth care (and prevention) and child protection. It is also the main characteristic of the Dutch policy approach to child protection as a last resort. First the chapter challenges the balancing of privacy and protection as reflected in the legal and professional guidelines for protecting children, which has fostered a debate on the legitimation of professional intervention. Secondly it focuses on professional intervention for child welfare itself; what are the conditions of adequate child protection and do current policy reforms contribute to these conditions?

This chapter presents a synthesis of the preceding chapters and draws out the implications for a more nuanced view of children's participation in terms of protecting children in participation rather ...
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This chapter presents a synthesis of the preceding chapters and draws out the implications for a more nuanced view of children's participation in terms of protecting children in participation rather than protecting them from participation. It argues that the way forward is to abandon the idea that children's best interests can be served by protection from participation, and to find ways of protecting them in participation. By reframing why it is that we want to hear the voices of children, and the issues on which children's views will most readily be sought, we can avoid the problem of placing them in the midst of loyalty conflicts and subjecting them to parental pressure and manipulation.Less

Towards a More Responsive Legal System

Patrick ParkinsonJudy Cashmore

Published in print: 2008-12-18

This chapter presents a synthesis of the preceding chapters and draws out the implications for a more nuanced view of children's participation in terms of protecting children in participation rather than protecting them from participation. It argues that the way forward is to abandon the idea that children's best interests can be served by protection from participation, and to find ways of protecting them in participation. By reframing why it is that we want to hear the voices of children, and the issues on which children's views will most readily be sought, we can avoid the problem of placing them in the midst of loyalty conflicts and subjecting them to parental pressure and manipulation.